1. Creating environments which enable the reduction of sodium intake
In July 2010, WHO and the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency jointly convened a technical meeting in London focused on creating an enabling environment for population-based salt reduction strategies and generated a report summarizing the evidence and experiences presented.

JECFA is an international expert scientific committee administered jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). An independent scientific committee, JECFA performs risk assessments on food.

Codex Alimentarius was created by FAO and WHO in 1963 to develop food standards and guidelines, as well as related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The Codex Alimentarius Commission aims to protect consumer health, ensure fair trade practices, and promote coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Standards and guidelines, including specific standards for sodium, applying to labeling of all prepackaged foods for the consumer or catering purposes are included. Food Labeling, fifth edition. 2007

National Policy and Regulatory Sodium Reduction Developments

Canada

A Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Sodium Reduction has been mandated by the leadership of Health Canada to develop, implement, and oversee population health strategy for the successful reduction of the sodium content of the diets of Canadians. The working group is to develop strategies in line with the recommendations set forth in the 2010 Institute of Medicine Report on Sodium.

A framework was established for National Salt Initiatives identifying the following five key elements: 1) determine additional data needs; 2) benchmarks, major food categories; 3) develop actions to raise public awareness; 4) develop reformulation actions with industry/catering; and 5) monitor and evaluate actions and reformulations.

Finland

World Action on Salt & Health documents how Finland had started a national salt reduction initiative in 1978 and has been continually striving to reduce sodium consumption for more than three decades.

France

In 2010, France launched Groupe Salt to raise awareness of the dangers of high salt diets and to gather partners committed to reducing the amount of salt in packaged foods.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland established objectives of their national salt reduction programme, which began working in 2003. The programme partners with manufacturers to secure commitments for gradual and sustained reductions in salt content of food and to raise awareness in the Irish population about the connection between high salt intake and health problems.

United Kingdom

A Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition published a report on Salt and Health. The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency and Department of Health subsequently focused on partnering with food industry to reduce the salt content of processed food products and to enhance an ongoing public awareness campaign. The Food Standards Agency developed a salt model to discuss strategies to reduce average salt consumption to 6 g a day. The government worked with the British Meat Processors Association to develop guidance on reducing salt in meat products. The government set forth targets and responses to comments and questions raised during stakeholder consultation meetings. In December 2011, the United Kingdom's Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium, and the Leatherhead Food Research announced a partnership that would collaboratively fund a new comprehensive report on reformulation and sodium reduction methods. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d101:H.R.3562:

Consolidated Appropriations Act directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to undertake a study through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences "to examine and make recommendations regarding various means that could be employed to reduce dietary sodium intake to levels recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans." Pub. L. 110-161, House Committee on Appropriations: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (PDF).

"Committee encourages the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] to focus on ways including both voluntary actions by the food industry and regulatory actions by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture—to reduce salt in processed and restaurant foods." H.R. Rept. 109-143. 109th Congress, 1st session. June 21, 2005 (PDF).

Nutrition Education and Labeling Act of 1990 and subsequent amendments give the FDA authority to require nutrition labeling of most packaged foods regulated by FDA and requires all nutrient claims and health claims meet FDA regulations.

U.S. Senate—Select Committee on Nutrition & Human Needs, often referred to as the "McGovern Committee" puts forth dietary goals for the United States, including reduced dietary sodium. The Committee generated Dietary Goals for the United States, 2nd edition (PDF) in 1977 recommending salt intake be decreased to about 5 g/d.

Law provided for standards of identity, standards of quality, and standards for regulation the fill of a container and required a food "bear its common or usual name." Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. Pub. Law 75-717; 52 Stat 1040

On September 15, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) jointed called for comments (PDF) on approaches to reducing sodium consumption. Deadline for comments was extended (PDF) to January 27, 2012. See Notice to learn more. The FDA/FSIS also hosted an archived public meeting on November 10, 2011.

The FDA details its sodium reduction efforts under its Food Ingredients and Packaging endeavors and also regulates GRAS Status, food labels, health claims, nutrient content claims, and organic sodium for foods under its authority and offers guidance on these regulatory aspects of developing and promoting products with sodium.

Salt Institute sent the USDA and HHS a letter in October 2011 challenging the Agencies' dietary sodium recommendations.

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Surveyed the sodium levels of more than 500 commonly consumed brand-name processed foods between 1983-2008. Center for Science in the Public Interest. 2008. Salt Assault: Brand-name comparisons of processed foods (PDF), 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Sent a Petition (PDF) in 2005 to FDA requesting the Agency revoke the GRAS status of salt, to set ceilings on the amount of sodium in processed foods, to require a health warning on packaged salt, and to reduce the Daily Value for sodium.